Neo, Neo
by AyayronShurmon
Summary: Following the Battle of Beacon, Neopolitan is found with no memories of her past life.
1. Chapter 1

Neo, Neo

They found her laid there, limp, injured and confused. Looking down on her, they couldn't believe she was the same woman who had killed countless soldiers single handedly, who had attempted to kill them multiple times, who had helped destroy their school and their lives. Here before them was Roman Torchwick's constant companion and Cinder's cohort. She'd had a nasty spill, but none knew just how or why, but now she was helpless before them, the former students of Beacon Academy.

A lopsided blonde shoved her way to the front, extending her remaining arm towards her, until the barrel of her shotgun-gauntlet was mere inches away from the woman's face. Yang expected a cocky smile, a glare, or some kind of defense, but was met only with a look of utter shock followed by fast-flowing tears. Yang hesitated. Maybe she shouldn't have, but only time could tell.

In that short pause, that moment of weakness, a scruffy, blonde young man rushed in between them, "Stop! Yang, what are you doing?"

"She did this! She was working with that bastard Torchwick and that bitch Cinder! If it weren't for her Beacon would still be standing! If it weren't for her none of this would've happened!"

"Yang, what are you talking about, she's just a scared woman!" He turned to the injured woman, "Do you have any idea what she's talking about?"

The woman sobbed uncontrollably, blinking tears away while her eyes were unable to decide whether to be brown or pink. After several still seconds of sobbing, she shook her head. Jaune waited, expecting her to say something.

"Don't bother, Jaune, she's mute or something. Besides that, she's also dangerous, and we should get rid of her."

"Yang, what are you saying? This isn't like you!"

"She could kill us all any second she wanted! She's probably hoping we'll patch her up first so she can kill us faster! We have to stop this now."

"No, I won't let anyone else die tonight!"

"She's a murderer!"

"She's just an innocent woman! Too many innocent people have already died tonight!"

"I won't let her hurt us!"

"I won't let you hurt her!" Their voices had gradually pitched to shrieks and screams. The murmuring of the crowd was gone, replaced only with terrified confusion. Jaune's voice dropped, his voice becoming hoarse "I won't let you hurt her…"

Yang clenched her remaining fist and grit her teeth, "This is a bad idea," Jaune didn't respond. Yang's Ember Celica closed up to the size of a bracelet, "I'm warning you, keep Neo the hell away from me."

The woman kept sobbing, her pink and brown hair becoming matted with tears and blood. "Ren, come give me a hand, we need to get her out of here," a black haired young man in green stepped out of the crowd, and the two hoisted the woman up, "It's okay now, you're going to be alright. Could you tell me who you are?" The woman shook her head, "Sorry, forgot that you can't speak. Use this," He handed the woman a compact pane of glass covered in breaks and cracks – his scroll. After a few hesitant key presses, there were only three short words on the screen: "I don't know."


	2. Chapter 2

Jaune and Ren carried the candy-haired girl into the EVAC ship. Seeing the wounded woman, Dr. Oobleck began to examine and bandage her as best he could. Everything was amplified in that ship. Looking around, the injured were plain to see, and the missing were all too noticeable. Every footstep made a clang and every whisper made an echo. Yet all was quiet, all was still, and not a word was passed.

"I didn't know that you were a medical doctor, Dr. Oobleck," Ren broke the silence.

"I'm not, but a Huntsman must be well-rounded and prepared for anything. It's good to know how to help as well as to hurt! You would all do well to heed that advice!" The motor-mouthed man continued for a bit, Ren listening attentively, like a good student would.

Nora was laying on a bench seat, her usual happy smile replaced by a close-eyed grimace. A few feet away, Jaune sat, his head lulled against a window, staring at the stars and smoke as the ship flew past the wreckage of what had been his new home. He considered the girl he had lost, and the girl he had found, and felt himself break down. He stood up, hoping the rush of blood would help him to feel better. It did not. Nausea from the plane and from the day's events welled up with in him, as his sorrow tried to push past his eyes.

No, he decided. He had to stay strong. He wasn't the only one who had lost someone dear to him. Pyrrha was gone, but he had to stay here for Ren, Nora, Ruby, and everyone else.

He turned to the doctor, "Any idea what happened to her?"

Oobleck made a humming sound, gathering his thoughts, before he returned to his quick yet long-winded speech, "She seems to have fallen from an abnormally high height. Perhaps she was thrown from one of the crashing Atlas ships, or fell out of a window of one of the taller buildings. Matters not. She seems to have a very strong aura, which helped tremendously; anyone else falling from that kind of height would likely have died, while she only has a concussion, nine broken ribs, completely shattered fibula and tibia, a fractured femur, a dislodged shoulder plate, a broken arm, and a few miscellaneous cuts and bruises."

"Only?"

"Well it could've been worse! An ordinary person wouldn't have been able to stand up after the fall, since their all bones would have been destroyed simultaneously, and their muscles torn to shreds. Her lungs could've collapsed, or her heart could've exploded! She'd have been like a paste covering the ground!"

Jaune sighed, "That isn't funny,"

"No, but it is true!"

"So what's the treatment for all that?"

"Well she'll likely be in a body cast for a few weeks, but with an Aura like her's she should heal at an extraordinary rate!"

"And what about her memory? She couldn't even remember her own name."

"Ah, that would be pure retrograde amnesia, my dear Jaune! It's an extremely rare result of brain damage not unlike what would be found in a concussion such as this. It would take time, days, months or even years, but eventually her memories should come back, bit by bit."

"Well, that's good at least. Was anyone able to identify who she is, or where she's from?"

"I'm afraid not, Jaune. She's a mystery woman, no home to go back to or family to claim her."

Jaune thought for a moment, muttering an absent minded, "I see," to fill the air. After a huff, Jaune finally spoke up, "Ren, Nora, we need to talk in private."

Ren woke Nora from her false slumber, and Jaune led them both to the far side of the crowded ship.

"That girl has nowhere to go. We can't just abandon her, dump her in Vale somewhere and hope she figures everything out on her own."

"Jaune…" Ren put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I'm serious! She's helpless, and if Yang is anything to go off, no one's going to help her."

"Jaune," Nora cooed, "We lost Pyrrha, you're hurting, I know, but trying to fill her spot with a stranger isn't going to help you any."

"I know, Nora, but it might help her. Are you with me on this?"

Nora gave a soft smile, "Of course. Ren?"

"Yeah, I've got your back."

Jaune turned and smiled. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ruby, with Weiss and Yang sitting beside her, and her uncle leaned over her, trying to make sure she was okay. He and Yang made eye contact for a moment. He expected a glare, but got only a sad head-shake instead. Jaune made his way over to them.

"How's she holding up?"

The gruff uncle spoke up, "She's fine, but out cold."

"Whatever that big flash was, it did a number on her," Weiss added, "What even was that? I sent her up the side and then bang! A big white explosion destroyed the top of the tower."

Qrow was silent. Yang clenched her fist.

"What about you?" Weiss continued, her voice slower and more concerned, "I mean, you must be pretty shook up after what happened to…" Weiss trailed off.

"I'm not great, but thanks for asking Weiss."

Yang sighed, releasing her fist, "Listen, Jaune, I'm sorry for earlier. But really, you need to be careful with Neo, she may look small and innocent, but she's sadistic and dangerous. I don't want you or Ren or Nora getting hurt."

"She's right. She was working with the White Fang when they broke into Vale, and she nearly killed Yang."

"I know, but… It seems wrong to punish her for something she doesn't even remember doing. She deserves a second chance, y'know? Everyone does."

Yang turned away. Weiss spoke, if only to avoid the silence, "You're right. You're doing the right thing, Jaune, just don't let her hurt you okay?"

"What, worried about me now, Ice Queen?" Jaune put on a good act, but he wasn't fooling anyone; His uncertainty and worry were written plain across his face.

"She's serious, Jaune," Yang spoke back up, "She's one of the best fighters I've ever seen, don't even give her the chance to hurt you."

Jaune tried to change the topic to something a bit lighter, "Where's Blake?"

Yang voice cracked, "She ran off. Weiss says she was with me while I was out cold, but she was gone when I woke up. Can't believe she's doing this."

"Go easy on her, everyone deals with stuff differently right? Give her a second chance," Jaune replied.

"Actually, this would be her third chance," Weiss corrected.

Jaune was about to say something, but stopped himself. His attempt to lighten the mood had utterly failed, "I'm sorry."

Yang huffed, "You didn't know."

"I'm gonna go back, see how Neo is doing."

Yang nodded, but Qrow stopped him, "Wait, kid," he handed him an odd looking umbrella, "This is hers. I wouldn't give it to her right away, but she'll need something to fight with once she recovers."

Jaune gave his best try at a smile, but it looked too pained to be happy, "Thanks."

Neo was awake now, unable to move but trying her best to interact with Dr. Oobleck. Meanwhile, Dr. Oobleck was having a field day, "This is amazing! Her eyes can alternate colors on the fly, and even more amazingly, she can control them! I've been trying to communicate with her through morse code and…"

Jaune tuned him out, having a seat next to Neo's medical bed, "Feeling any better?"

Neo gave a weak smile, her eyes both a light pink. Suddenly, she spoke, "Yes."

* * *

Aaron here. So today's finale for RWBY was pretty heavy huh? I certainly didn't see Pyrrha's death coming, not after dodging all those other deathflags. Hell, I actually expected the opposite; I thought Pyrrha was going to _almost_ die, then Jaune would push her out of the way and take the hit. That'd be why I didn't include Jaune in the first version of Chapter 1, got a couple messages about that. Speaking of Chapter 1, that's been revised. Go ahead and check it out, but the only major change is that Jaune stopped Yang, not Pyrrha.

Just gonna share a few random thought I guess: I like where RWBY is going, I don't like that it'll probably be at least half a year before we see where that is exactly. I like Salem, and I'm pretty sure she's the source of all Grimm, or is some kind of human-Grimm hybrid. Either way fun stuff. Also, I don't think Oz or P-Money are dead; why wouldn't we see Oz's body, and why would Cinder finish Pyrrha like that, but leave her circlet? If she couldn't magic the circlet, why were Pyrrha's greaves magic'd? Very fishy to me. In addition to this, you can combine Oz's conversation during the start of the first episode and Salem's monologue at the end of this one to get a more logical exchange that would indicate that Oz is alive and likely a captive of Salem. How could Cinder send Oz to Salem so quickly and without being noticed? Probably with the same fire magic she used on Pyrrha. Here's a link to the combined exchange: /45rqza

So I'm filled with feels. I'm gonna try to watch Gatchaman Crowds, and if that's not good I'm gonna rewatch JoJo. New chapter Wednesday-ish.


	3. Chapter 3

That first word surprised everyone, but before Jaune could ask for an explanation, she had already fallen back asleep, a small, honest smile on her lips.

She was taken to an emergency hospital in Vale, where she was treated for injuries and put in intensive care for a week. During that time she was awake for only thirty minutes a day, and she did not speak – it was either too painful for her, or she simply chose not to. Doctors zipped around, sweat dripping from their foreheads. Harsh lights, tinged blue by the dust inside them, illuminated the entire open-floored complex. People with a variety of injuries seemed awash in this place; they were crammed together like fish in a can, barely enough room for the doctors to rush past their patients and onto the next. When one man was discharged, another would soon took his place.

Vale was in chaos. After the Grimm had overrun the school, they turned their eyes to Vale. The people could not simply evacuate; Mistral and Vacuo would not take every citizen of Vale, and the people of Vale refused to trust Atlas - their droids had been as destructive as the Grimm, and had taken almost as many lives. The remaining soldiers, police and huntsmen had formed a safe zone in the center of the city, where this emergency hospital had been set up. Every day, more and more citizens made their way to the safe zone, and every day more and more tales were told of those who did not make it. According to the huntsmen, everything was under control and the Grimm were slowly being beaten back, yet the people remained scared, and so the Grimm kept coming.

Not once during this time did Jaune leave the girl's side. While Ren and Nora did what they could to help with the fortifications, Jaune had stayed behind, waiting for her to awaken. This wasn't the kind of place to leave someone alone, and he feared what she may do if she woke up alone. As Dr. Oobleck had predicted, she made a fast recovery, at which point she was hastily cleared from the facility to make room for new patients.

It was only now, as they walked side by side out of the hospital and into the abandoned city streets that Jaune realized how small this girl was. She was wearing a simple dress and sandals, as her previous clothes had been almost completely destroyed, and her eyes were only halfway up his chest. He felt bad, looking down on her like this, but he hardly had a choice in the matter.

"So, I'm Neo, huh?" She repeated the name to herself. There was a hopeful, happy optimism in her voice, or perhaps it was just ignorant bliss, "That sounds about right for some reason. And who are you?"

"It's Jaune," he replied hastily, "Listen, do you remember anything? Anything at all?"

She hmm'd, a cute sing-songy hmm, before shrugging, "Sorry, but the last thing I remember is a one-armed girl threatening me."

"Oh that was a friend of mine. Don't worry, she's not as scary as she must've seemed. Speaking of which, she said you were mute, but you seem to be able to talk just fine. Do you remember why you didn't talk before now?"

Neo gave him a glare, though at her size it looked like a pout, at best.

"Okay fine, dumb question. Let's just find my friends and we'll figure out what to do next."

"So just look for a one-armed blonde girl. Can't be too many of those around right?" Neo laughed nervously.

"Oh, not her. We're looking for a red-head with a big hammer, and a guy with long black hair who wears green and dyes part of his bangs pink."

"…Can't imagine there are many of those either."

They made their way to the west gate of the safe zone, where Ren and a very enthusiastic Nora were helping to keep guard. Ren looked up, nudging Nora, who gave a massive, two armed wave before running over to the pair.

"So, our little mystery girl is awake! I didn't know she was so small!"

Neo gave her pout-glare again, which Nora either didn't understand or didn't care, "It's rude to call people short, y'know."

"Oh she is just adorable."

Jaune turned their attention to more serious matters, "So, any ideas guys? Where to now?"

A silence fell over them.

"Nora and I have nowhere left to go, so we'll follow you."

"Yeah! You lead the way, Jaune!" Nora added with her typical boundless enthusiasm.

Jaune turned to their new friend, "What about you, Neo?"

Neo gave a small, cute smile, "I have no idea what's going on, who you people are, or who I am, but I think you're my best chance to learn all of that. Count me in."

Jaune paced for a moment, thinking, "There's a small island off the coast of Vale called Patch. Yang and Ruby are from there, and there's a lot of Grimm on that island. I think that's where we should go. We can train, get stronger…"

Nora's voice dropped its prior excitement, "And eventually get some payback for what happened at Beacon."

Ren nodded, "Then it's settled. Let's find a boat."

"Could I find some actual clothes before we leave? Something tells me I'm not a big fan of dresses," Neo shifted uncomfortably.

Nora's eyes lit up, "Oh, yes yes yes! I've got no idea where we'll find a clothing store at a time like this, but we just have to get you something cute to wear! We never went clothes shopping while we were at Beacon, probably because school is so expensive! But now I've got an excuse and a cute, mini-sized mannequin to dress up!"

Nora dragged Neo away, raving to no one in particular, with Ren and Jaune following close behind.


	4. Chapter 4

The ship bobbed up and down on the dark blue waters, silver moonlight rippling off the waves as they bashed against the hull. Occasionally a seagull would pass overhead, making a caw and beating its wings lazily before floating off into the distance. The night was quiet and peaceful, and gave the young man plenty of time to think.

Jaune peered out across those dark blue waves, a dazed look on his face as he reminisced. He brought a hand up to his lips, touching them lightly before curling his hand into a fist. He wanted to slam against the railing of the boat, but stopped himself. He gave a sigh, and leaned down against the railing.

He heard the clicking of stilettos come from the stairs behind him. He turned his head to see who came, but he didn't say a word.

Neo and Jaune stood together for half a moment in pure silence. Finally Jaune turned to her, "Shouldn't you be asleep?" He didn't want the words to sound as cold as they did. Maybe he didn't want to be disturbed, or maybe he was just in a foul mood.

"I had a dream," She brushed the pink half of her hair over her ear. She was wearing the outfit she and Nora had picked: A black sweater that showed off her sides a bit, a pair of brown leather pants, high-heeled boots that came up to just under her knees, and a strange blazer-lab coat thing, the front of which stopped just below her chest while the back kept going past her hips.

"What about?" Jaune turned around, leaning his back against the railing and crossing his arms.

Neo followed suit, but clenched her hands together instead of crossing them, "I was sitting in a dark alleyway. It was raining, and there were people walking past me, but none of them seemed to notice me, that or they just didn't care. I was holding a newspaper above my head, trying to block the rain, but I was shivering so much that it didn't help. I felt… not sad, just kind of hopeless. I felt the rain stop hitting me, and looked up to see a man with bright red hair and a bowler cap. He was holding his umbrella above me, and offered me a hand up. I remember him saying 'A girl like you doesn't deserve to soak in this rain,' before I took his hand and went with him."

"And then?"

"I woke up. I tried to go back to sleep, but I just couldn't stop thinking about the man in the bowler cap. I felt like… I don't know," her voice began to shake and waver, "I just don't know.

Jaune thought for a moment before he nodded, "I don't think that was just a dream. Doctor Oobleck said your memories would start coming back soon, and I think that was one of them. The man with the bowler cap was probably Roman Torchwick."

Neo's eyes lit up, "Really? What else do you know about him?"

"Uh, not much, just what Ruby told me. Torchwick was a crime boss and a terrorist. He robbed dust stores, ran extortion rackets, and worked with the White Fang. Real piece of work, from what I've heard. Apparently you used to work for him."

Her face dropped, "Before I… died, you mean?"

Jaune raised an eyebrow at her, "Died?"

Neo's voice was nervous as she explained, "Well, you know… the first time."

"You just lost your memory, you didn't die."

"I know, but before that. The girl I used to be, her memories were what made her who she was, and I don't have any of those. So she's gone, kinda like she died."

Jaune turned back to the water, staring out across the moonlit waves, "I guess I didn't think of it like that."

The two stood in silence, watching seagulls fly by and listening to waves crash against the hull of the ship. Several minutes went passed, as they each watched the shattered moon hang in the sky.

"Hey Jaune?"

"Yeah, Neo?"

"What were you doing up here?"

Jaune rubbed the back of his head before giving an awkward answer, "I couldn't sleep either, I guess."

"Did you have a dream too?"

"Yeah, something like that."

Another several minutes passed, Neo afraid to dig deeper and Jaune unwilling to let her. Finally Neo spoke up, "What did you dream about?"

"Someone important to me."

"Who?" A few tense moments passed, "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it."

"A girl named Pyrrha. She was a hero, the greatest fighter in all of Beacon, a fierce and loyal teammate, and a good friend."

Neo looked up at Jaune, noticing glistening tears form in his eyes, before she turned her gaze back to the water, "It sounds like you were close."

Jaune sighed, "I wish we had been closer."

They stood in silence, watching the pale white shards of the moon slowly sink into the horizon, as a red and orange glow filled the air behind them. Neo turned towards the sun, feeling the warm morning light hit her. Jaune did not turn, instead staring at the place where the moon had been, as though waiting for it to rise once more.


	5. Chapter 5

Jaune dropped down to a fighting position, shield forward and sword ready. Twenty paces away, Neo held her parasol awkwardly, her body stiff and unsure of its movements. When the wind blew, she wobbled unsteadily on her heels.

"Alright, Neo!" Jaune yelled, "You want to keep your knees bent, like this! That way, you can maintain blood flow to your legs, and you won't get toppled over if you take a hit!"

Neo, ankles still glued together, gave her knees a modest bend.

"Okay, now you're gonna want to keep your feet about shoulder width apart!"

Neo slid one foot a few inches out, straightening it in the process.

"…Shoulder width, you've got this!"

Neo's legs reached shoulder width. After a reminder from Jaune, her legs were once again bent.

"Okay, now put your dominant leg back!"

"How do I know which one is my dominant leg?"

"If I were to push you, which one would you instinctively catch yourself with?"

"Um… I don't know! I can't remember!" From afar, Jaune could make out an innocent smile.

Jaune sighed, putting away his sword and shield and walking over to Neo, "Okay, I'm going to push you lightly. Just don't think about it, and don't let yourself fall."

Neo looked at him, her left eye pink and right eye brown. Jaune placed his palms on her shoulders and gave a small nudge. Neo tried to put a leg back, but was too busy thinking about which leg to use. She fell down, landing on the deck of the ship with a metallic thud.

Jaune chuckled a bit, before leaning down, "Need a hand?"

Neo glanced up at him, a frustrated look crossing her eyes, which were now both brown.

While Jaune and Neo trained, Nora attempted to fish and Ren attempted to read. The ship sailed swiftly, a merry bob to its course as the wind struck it. In the distance, the specter of a wooded island could be seen: Patch.

Nora pulled up her fishing line, another round of bait gone. She didn't let that failure get her down, however, and quickly sent another worm to its watery grave.

Ren, meanwhile, was having about as much luck with his book. Nora talked on and on, blathering about nothing. Not that Ren minded at all. After years of living with her, he'd learned that reading was an uphill battle as long as she was nearby. That said, her voice, loud though it was, was almost soothing.

"Oh Ren, give it a rest with that book already! Why force yourself to read when there's all this beautiful water everywhere? Come on, grab a rod, let's fish!"

"Nora, the ship is still moving. I don't think you're going to catch many fish, considering how fast we're going."

Nora snorted, "That's quitter talk, Ren! We're not quitters, at least I'm certainly not! I'll catch a big fish, and we'll have a bountiful meal, all thanks to yours truly!"

"We'll be on the island in an hour. We can just buy something while we're there. Or we could hunt for some food," Ren considered Magnhild's effect on the average deer before correcting himself, "Jaune and I can go get some deer meet, I'll make a nice campfire stew."

Nora zipped over to Ren, booping him on the nose, "Nope! Fish!"

Jaune had helped Neo to take a fighting stance, "Just let your body flow naturally. A lot of fighting is just muscle memory, and you're already a trained fighter, so we just have to get those muscles back in action! I'm gonna take a few steps back. When I bang on my shield, I want you to charge at me."

Neo gulped nervously, her parasol held before her like a rapier, "Is this a good idea?"

"Oh I'll be fine! If you hit me, my aura will stop it, and if I get hurt, my aura can fix that too," Jaune banged his shield, "Now come on, give me your best hit!"

Neo tightened her grip before rushing forward. Her parasol made solid contact with Crocea Mors, but Jaune had already been taught to deflect an attack like this. As the tip of the parasol hit, Jaune tilted his shield back, moving his front leg forward to allow him to lean under his shield, causing the attack, and by extension Neo, to harmlessly slide past him.

Neo stumbled a bit, but managed to catch herself before falling – with her left leg – and steady herself in time to see Jaune giving her applause, "Well done! That hit square in the middle of my shield, and had a hell of a lot more power behind it than I was expecting! I figured it would take a couple weeks to get you back into shape, but even that might be overestimating a bit."

Neo smiled wide, her pink eyes happy, "Thanks, Jaune. And thanks for offering to teach me."

"No problem," Jaune returned the smile, "Just paying it forward is all."

* * *

Aaron here and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

It's midterm week right now and I'm literally dying. Longer, better chapter on Sunday I swear.


	6. Chapter 6

Three mugs of coffee and two cups of tea sat on a coffee table, wisps of steam rising up across the weary faces of those crowded around that table.

Nora and Ren sat on one side of the couch, drinking tea. Nora had asked for coffee, but Ren insisted otherwise. Neo and Jaune sat on the other half of the couch. Neo leaned back, trying her best to relax, while Jaune was leaned forward, wringing his hands. In the recliner across from them sat a tall blonde man with a scraggly, unkempt goatee. Leaning against the doorframe was a dark-haired man with a coat and a cape.

"So, uh…" The man was awkward and a bit unsure of what to say, "Y'all are Ruby and Yang's friends, right?"

Jaune looked up, "Yeah, we lived across the hall from them. Except Neo, she-"

"I already told him," Qrow cut him off.

"Oh, okay. That means you must be their dad?"

"Yep! Taiyang Xiao Long, good to meet you," He held out a hand.

"Jaune, Neo, Nora, and Ren. Good to meet you too," Jaune shook his hand, "So how are Ruby and Yang?"

"Ruby's fine, but she still hasn't woken up yet. Qrow explained… Sort of, but he thinks she'll still be out for a few more days. Yang's fine, but she's awfully broken up."

"About the arm?" Ren asked.

"No, weirdly enough she doesn't mind the arm, she knows that getting a prosthetic won't be a big deal. I think she thinks she's responsible, like she did something wrong or there was more to be done. Her friend, Blake, leaving didn't exactly help. It's all speculation though, she won't talk to me or Qrow about it."

"That's terrible, poor Yang." Nora wistfully added.

"So what brings you kids all the way to Patch?" Taiyang's tone brightened, clearly trying to move away from the topic, "Not much out here aside from trees and Grimm."

"Actually, that's why we're here. Ruby told us there are Grimm on Patch, and we wanted to try to get some combat training."

"Grimm are dangerous kid," Qrow interjected, "And from what I saw in the tournament, you're not exactly great at your job."

"I've fought Grimm before you know," Jaune's tone grew argumentative.

"What, those starved boarbatusks that Professor Port keeps locked up?"

"Ursa and beowolves! I helped defend Vale!"

"Oh, and what a great job you all did," Qrow made a sarcastic cheering motion before shouting into the other room, "Hey Firecracker, want some coffee?"

"I'll get it myself," Yang replied, but in a tone Jaune had never heard from her before. He'd heard her happy, amused, about to beat the hell out of someone and everything in between, but never had he heard Yang sound so hurt and broken.

Yang walked out of her room in a plain shirt and shorts. She looked around, gave a quick glare to Neo, before standing with Qrow in the kitchen.

Taiyang turned back to the group, "So you're gonna hunt Grimm."

"We were wondering if we could stay here. Or if you knew of a place in the area."

"Sorry, but with Yang and Ruby back I'm out of beds for the time being. Nearest town is a few miles away, I'm sure you saw it. There's probably a hotel you could stay at."

"They could stay in the old barn. It'll protect them from the wind and rain, and it looks like they've got sleeping bags," Yang suddenly added, "They'd be close by, so we could keep an eye on them, and they could come get food and water if they need it."

Taiyang nodded in agreement, "That's a great idea. Yang, mind showing them out to it? It'd do you some good to walk around a bit."

They left with Yang, walking out through the woods, orange leaves falling all around them. The trees were almost stripped bare by now, and it wouldn't be long before snow started to fall. The trees looked as though the last winter had never left them; they were shriveled, gnarly things, black like soot and thin as rods, as though they were emaciated. All around they loomed, casting long, eerie shadows. Their branches seemed to reach out to passersby, like the hands of beggars.

"Neo," Yang spoke up. She was blunt, but not angry, "Have your memories started coming back?"

"Just a few," Neo's answer was timid, unsure of how much she should say, "Why?"

Yang didn't give a reply. She looked over her shoulder at Jaune, as though expecting something. Jaune gave a shrug, unsure what she wanted.

They arrived at a beaten and battered barn. Its paint had long since worn off, and though it had clearly endured its fair share of storms, the fact that it still stood was a testament to its strength and durability. Pushing open the doors, there was only flat dirt; anything else that had once been here had long since been moved or rotted away.

"You should be fine here," She turned, "Neo, can I talk to you privately?"

Neo stiffened up when she heard that, "Um, I'm not so sure…"

"Relax, I didn't bring my weapons with me," She gave a awkward half-smile, "You could even say I'm disarmed," Nora giggled.

"I guess that's okay then."

Neo followed her outside. Yang nervously shot a glance at Neo's parasol before speaking, "I still don't trust you."

"Is that all you had to say-"

"But I can tell that they do. And that they genuinely like having you around. So if you really did lose your memories, great, prove me wrong. But if you didn't, and you're just faking this like I think you are," Yang put her hand on Neo's shoulder, "At least consider turning over a new leaf. For their sakes. I'll be watching."

And with that, she turned and left, leaving Neo standing by herself in the autumn breeze.


	7. Chapter 7

"Alright, Neo! Let's give it one more try!" His voice was full of pride and excitement, the kind of tone his friends had thought was gone forever. For three weeks, Jaune had been training Neo, gradually helping her relearn how to fight. They'd struck swords enough to know each other's movements, to see each other's faults, and to know how to correct them. From the outside looking in, it was hard to tell who was the teacher and who was the student. On the best of days, it reminded Jaune of something he thought he'd never feel again, and even on the worst of days it gave him hope that they would all get through this.

But Neo lacked this confidence and optimism. She knew full well how skilled she was becoming and it terrified her. For three weeks, Neo had seen her past self every time she slept. She saw her life, her dreams and her goals, but what scared Neo were her actions. She had killed numerous times. She had done so without remorse or hesitation. It was always the same way: she would toy with her enemy, make them tired and weak, and when they were beaten and battered on the ground, she would stand over them, relish in the power she now held over them, enjoy the weight of their life in her hands, only to end that life with a single quick stab. Neo remembered how good it felt to end a life, the pure ecstasy she found in murder. It was terrifying, seeing those things and knowing what her past self had done, reliving everything again and again. Most terrifying though, was that just thinking about it excited her.

Neo took a deep breath. "That isn't me" is what she told herself every time. But somewhere inside, she doubted if this was true. She worried that if she remembered too much, she might become that again. If that were true, "What would happen to me? This me?"

She shook the thoughts out of her head and raised her weapon. They'd advanced from practicing specific maneuvers to full on sparring. She knew not to hold anything back from Jaune; he may look scruffy and weak, but he wouldn't hold anything back in the heat of battle.

She charged forward, becoming a blur amidst the frost-covered ground. Jaune lifted his shield up, titled slightly in preparation for her attack. Neo had anticipated this. She stopped short of hitting him, kicking off the ground and flipping clear over his head. Jaune barely had time to turn his head before a sharp boot hit him in the side.

Jaune stumbled back, but quickly regained his composure. He kept his shield arm firmly locked as he advanced forward. Neo did the same, though her stride was a relaxed saunter, while Jaune's was that of a regimented military man. Neo made the same mistake she always makes: underestimating Jaune's reach. He quickly lunged forward, bashing his shield against her head and, while she reeled from this, delivered a quick slice. Were it not for Neo's aura that would've been the end of her.

Neo regained her footing. Her aura was low, and she could feel it. She stood back, unfurling her parasol as she prepared for Jaune's counter attack. Jaune gave a few slashes, but he already knew hitting the parasol was futile. He swept with his shield, hoping to knock the parasol out of the way. When his shield missed its mark, he was left wide open. Neo started with a swift smack across the face with her parasol to repay his earlier shield bash, followed by a succession of quick jabs. After kicking him in the gut, she extended the blade on her parasol, stabbing at his hand, forcing him to drop his sword. With her empty hand, she delivered a shockingly hard punch, knocking him to the ground with a flash of red.

Jaune was unconscious and his aura depleted. As Neo stood over him she felt her heart race. It wasn't often that she managed to defeat him, and it made her feel good to have won. She felt a tingle race up her spine. She knew exactly how to make this even better. Without thinking about it, she started to raise her arm, the sharpened tip of her weapon poised above Jaune's neck. Her pupils dilated as her blood ran hot. She felt the muscles in her arm grow tense with anticipation.

Her eyes went wide, breathlessly she mouthed, "No." She stumbled back three steps, dropping her parasol to the ground. Her sweaty palms went to her face as she realized what she had just done. Her legs felt as though they were sliding back and forth of their own accord, the tingle in her spine replaced with a churning in her gut. She did the only thing that felt right: she ran.

For a moment, there was a purple glint from behind the trees. As promised, Yang was watching. Wordlessly, she stood up, checked Jaune's pulse, and followed after Neo.

Following the footprints in the ice, Yang found Neo crumpled against a tree. Her body rocked slightly as she sobbed. A twig snapped as Yang approached. Neo's head shot up, her face red and her brown eyes soaked with tears.

"I won't put up a fight, I promise…. I deserve it anyways…" Neo buried her face back in her arms. She was surprised when she heard the leaves to her right crunch as Yang sat down beside her.

Yang wrapped her arm around Neo's shoulders, "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

Neo's voice shook, tears and sobs drowning out her words, "You should. I know you saw that… I'm a monster, just like you said back at Beacon. You should've just shot me then and there. That would've been for the best."

Yang pulled Neo in, squeezing her with her arm, "It's okay, let it all out," her voice was soft and motherly, something Neo didn't think she had ever heard, in either of her lives.

"I always think I'm different from her, from the old Neo. Every night I see all the things she did, all the people she killed, and I always thought that I wasn't like that… I thought I wasn't a murderer, but now…" She couldn't finish the sentence, she wept openly, her head resting on Yang's shoulder. Her hair fell into her face, tears beginning to soak and mat it.

Yang reached her hand around and stroked her hair away, "I know you're not a murderer. I'm actually very proud of what you did out there, Neo."

Neo's body shook nervously, her throat felt dry, "W-what do you mean?"

"You held yourself back. You realized what you were doing, knew it was wrong, and stopped yourself. As far as I'm concerned, that means you'll be able to resist every time. You're no murderer, Neo."

"But, these feelings…"

"Of wanting to keep going? Of wanting to see them dead? I can't blame you for that. I get that way myself sometimes. I feel so angry, I can't stop myself, and I do something stupid. Case in point," She gestured to where her right arm should be, "People think I'm a monster too, you know. I don't think you remember the tournament, but after they saw me break a guy's leg, the entire world thinks I'm insane. And I probably am, since I kept letting my anger get the better of me."

Neo put her arm around Yang now, "I don't think you're a monster, Yang. You might get pretty scary, but that doesn't make you a monster. At least you only get that angry when your friends are in danger, I just did it because it felt good."

Yang smiled at Neo, "I guess we're pretty messed up, huh?"

Neo gave a soft chuckle, "I guess we are."

"Come on, Jaune's gonna be worried sick when he wakes up," She stood up, offering Neo her hand, "And probably thrilled once he remembers you beat him!"

Neo nodded. Her face was still wet with tears.

Yang unfurled her scarf, offering one end to Neo, "Here, clean yourself up a bit."

Instead, Neo wrapped both arms around Yang and gave her a warm hug, "Thanks, Yang. And I don't think we're monsters."

Yang smiled, "Maybe not, Neo."


	8. Chapter 8

It had been a day since Neo's failed Grimm hunt. After her last sparring match with Jaune, she refused any more training sessions with him. Occasionally they would go out hunting together, but their one on one sessions had ended. Instead, she would head out into the woods every morning, slaying any Grimm that crossed her path. The stress of it was starting to show; most huntsmen will take a mission, then rest for several days before heading out again. Neo had been killing beowolf after beowolf for a week now. They all knew her lucky streak would fail her eventually, and yesterday morning it did.

Yang came into the dimly light barn that morning, Neo slung over her shoulder and blood dripping down her shirt. She left her in Ren's care, hoping he would be able to handle the situation. Her injuries were severe, but easily treatable: the deep lacerations covering her body could be healed naturally by her aura, and her broken arm would recover in a few days' time, provided Ren's splint worked as well as he claimed.

Once again, Jaune never left her bed side. The entire time, Neo babbled incoherently in her sleep, sometimes a slight smile on her face, other times a grimace. More worryingly a large, macabre grin would sometimes come over her for minutes at a time. Jaune knew she was dreaming, but he could only fathom what.

Finally, just as Jaune began to nod off, Neo opened her eyes, tried to lean up and groaned in pain. She settled back into her makeshift bed and Jaune gave a sigh of relief, "You gave us all one hell of a scare."

Neo's face was sullen, "Sorry, I didn't want you to worry."

Jaune gave a quick chuckle, "We're your friends, we would've worried anyways."

Neo smiled back.

Jaune's face grew serious, "What were you thinking, heading out into those woods alone so often? Once or twice I could handle, but what you're doing is just suicidal!"

"I'm sorry," her voice fell, "Can I explain myself?"

Jaune's eyebrows raised before he leaned back in his chair, "Yes, of course."

Neo closed her eyes in thought, "I'm not really sure how to say this, but… the old me was a sadist. I think that rubs off on me sometimes."

Jaune raised an eyebrow at her, "I'm not sure what you mean."

Neo choked up a bit, "Whenever I fight something, I just get so caught up in the moment. I have no idea why, but right before I win, I start to feel so good knowing that I was able to break them. And then it's like… My body just starts to act on its own, and… bad things happen," her voice was cracking now, her throat becoming dry as tears truly started to flow.

Jaune put a hand on her shoulder, "Hey now, don't start crying. I don't think that's such a big deal, is it? It's probably just a case of nerves, all Hunters and Huntresses get that way after a long battle."

Neo shook her head, "This is different. I'm not talking about Grimm, I mean people. Just the other day, when we were fighting, I knocked you down, and I saw your aura dissipate and –" Her voice caught in her throat as she began to wail between words, "I almost killed you. Had my blade right above your head. I almost murdered you, Jaune, I almost murdered you, I almost murd-"

Jaune wrapped her in a hug as she began to cry onto his jacket, "It's okay Neo, you didn't murder me. I'm fine. I'm always going to be fine. I'm right here, don't worry."

"But I almost-"

"Don't worry about almost. I'm alright, you're alright, everyone is alright."

A few minutes passed as Neo bawled into Jaune's chest. Eventually she calmed down, and Jaune sat back into his chair.

Jaune and Neo sat in the dusty barn, not saying much but generally enjoying the peace of the moment. Eventually Jaune broke the silence, "So what were you dreaming about?"

"…Roman."

"Go on."

"It's weird, you know? I have some memories of him being this perfect angel. He was like a dad to the old me, he would cook, take her shopping, and they'd just sit on the couch watching movies. And then there's other memories, where she's older, and he seems like a ruthless sociopath. I mean, he was always a crook, but later on he would boss her around, bring her with him when he stole things, and order her to… kill people. But the entire time, she seemed to love him. When he was being nice, I could tell he loved her back, but later, it was like… like she was vying for his attention. Like the love was suddenly one sided."

Jaune nodded, "And what do you make of all this?"

Neo shrugged as best she could with all her injuries, "I'm not really sure. Something must've changed him. Like, really changed him. I can't even think of what could possibly happen to make him go from a model parent to a vicious criminal."

"Maybe it'll come to you. I'm sure you'll figure it out. Anything else?"

Neo made a humming noise as she thought, "I remember making these images of myself, and I would teleport away, and they would shatter like glass if you touched them. I just figured that was a dream though, not a memory."

"Actually, that sounds like a semblance to me. Yang never mentioned if you had one or not, but that sure sounds like it."

Neo brightened up, "That's cool! How do I use it?"

"I don't know," Jaune had a dumb grin on his face.

Neo glared at him.

"What? I don't even know how to use my own semblance, let alone yours! You'd be better off asking Yang, Nora or Ruby."

Neo blinked at him, "Who's Ruby?"

"She's Yang's little sister, and she's just as great a fighter as Yang is."

"Oh. Maybe the old me met her, she sounds vaguely familiar…" Neo spaced out for a moment. The room fell quiet again. Finally Neo nervously asked a question, "What do you dream about, Jaune?"

"Honestly? There was this girl at Beacon, Pyrrha. Tall, beautiful, nice, and strong as hell. I didn't realize it at the time, but… I was in love with her."

Neo smiled for a moment before realization passed over her, "She didn't make it, did she?"

Jaune shook his head, tears forming in his eyes, "She's all I've been dreaming about ever since."

Neo's voice shrunk away, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

Jaune sniffled before wiping the tears from his eyes, "No, its fine. I don't mind talking about it. I don't think she'd want me mourning her all the time, so I prefer to remember the good things we did together. Like last night, I dreamt about the time when she and I danced at prom, but I was the one wearing a dress!"

Neo burst out laughing, "You know, I could actually see you in a dress!"

Jaune gave her a light slap on the arm, "After living with as many sisters as I did, dresses became the least of my worries."

The laughed together before Neo turned to him with a serious look in her eye, "Jaune, you're a good guy, you know that? I really hope this all has a happy ending for you."

Jaune merely smiled before looking upward, toward the rafters at a single dusty ray of light peaking in from between two old shingles.


	9. Chapter 9

Jaune, Neo, Nora and Ren hiked up through the forest that led to the Xiao Long household. The trees whose branches had once snapped and snatched at passersby now were shriveled and cold. The ground had an inch of snow covering a layer of leaves, and snowflakes continued to lazily drift from the sky. As the icy landscape crunched beneath her boots, Neo felt a mix of serenity and fear. Winter brings both solace from the Grimm and the threat of starvation or freezing, and these were things that weighed heavily on the group. They, as huntsmen weren't as needed and could no longer take missions to buy food. There was little to forage for, and even less to hunt, and today they finally had to resort to begging.

Jaune took a deep breath before knocking on the door. Neo and Ren wore shawls Ren had fashioned from animal furs. Nora had refused to wear hers, believing it was "ugly," a choice she stood by even as she shivered in the wind. Jaune enjoyed the cold, remarking that it was refreshing.

Taiyang opened the door, gave a fatherly smile, and ushered them in. A fire roared on one side of the living room, which Nora sprinted too as soon as she saw it.

"You're just in time, I've got a roast that'll be done in a few minutes. There should be more than enough to go around."

Jaune nodded as he took off his hoodie and sat next to Nora, "Sorry for intruding, and thank you."

"Oh, you're not intruding. Like I already said, y'all are welcome here whenever you like. Ren, you can cook, come give me a hand with these vegetables."

With a shine in his eye, Ren grabbed an apron, "Yes, sir."

"Great. Neo, go get Yang and Ruby, tell them the food will be done soon."

She nodded before turning down the hall. The first door on her right was the guest room where Yang was staying. Leaning in, she saw Yang staring out the window. Her hair was messy and her body was still. Neo grabbed a stool from the corner of the room and sat next to her, "Hey Yang."

Yang didn't respond. She looked over her shoulder for a moment before turning back to the window.

"Your dad says that the food is almost ready."

Yang nodded, but again said nothing.

"You know, if I can trust you with my problems, you can trust me with yours."

Yang spoke in a hoarse whisper, as though they were her first words in several days, "After dinner."

"Okay," Neo gave her a pat on the back before leaving.

At the end of the hallway was Ruby's room. The door, through which Neo could hear rock music playing, was slightly ajar. Neo pushed the door open slowly and leaned her head in to look around. Ruby was laid on the bed, headphones on and book in hand. Neo stepped in and gave a shy wave, "Hi, Ruby."

Ruby looked up. Her eyes went wide for a moment before she swiftly rolled off the bed and reached into her drawer. She then stood up with a folded hunk of metal in her arms. In a cacophony of screeching metal, her weapon shifted into the shape of a scythe, which she held pointed at Neo, "Stay back!"

Neo held her hands above her head, but before she could explain she heard Taiyang shout from down the hall, "Ruby, what did I tell you about weapons in the house?"

"But she tried to kill me!"

"No buts! Put Crescent Rose away!"

Ruby maintained eye contact with Neo as she folded her weapon back up and placed it on her bed, "What are you doing here?"

Neo pointed behind her, "Your dad says that dinner is almost ready…"

"That isn't what I meant! What are _you_ doing here?"

"I swear I can explain, but whatever I did to you I promise I'm sorry, but I honestly don't remember anymore."

"Did Beacon matter that little to you? Did we matter so little you can't even be bothered to remember who I am? Or do you kill so many people that the faces all start to look the same?"

Neo teared up, "No, I swear that isn't what I meant."

Ruby was surprised when she saw genuine panic on Neo's face, "Hey, calm down. Just what's going on?" Ruby walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

Neo took a deep breath to calm down, "After whatever happened at Beacon, I ended up with amnesia. Some memories are coming back, but it's only some. It's like I'm a whole new person, and even I'm terrified but what I've seen my old self do. Please, I'm telling you the truth," Her voice began to shake as she pleaded.

Ruby nodded, "It's okay, I do believe you. I'm sorry, you caught me off guard, and nobody told me what happened. I'm sorry for… well for almost shooting you. I'll explain some stuff to you during dinner, okay?"

Neo and Ruby walked back to the dinner table, where everyone was already seated and Taiyang was passing out food.

The roast was phenomenal. Ren may be a good cook, but the things he made were rustic at best and unpalatable are worst. This roast was the best thing Jaune, Nora and Neo had eaten in weeks, and it was certainly the tastiest food Neo could remember. It had been perfectly braised, had a lovely aromatic taste and seemed to melt as soon as it entered the mouth. Even the vegetables, which were just diced and baked, were fresh and packed with flavor.

Yang ate quickly and went back to her room without saying anything, and if Taiyang was to be believed that wasn't uncommon. When Ruby had finished eating, she explained what happened at the Battle of Beacon.

Neo nodded along with her explanation, "So just to make sure I've got everything, you flung me off an airship that was going Mach speed, then Roman got eaten by a griffon, then the griffon ran into the airship, and the airship crashed and exploded?"

"Yes that's about right,"

"Don't you think that was just a bit excessive?"

"Hey, I had nothing to do with the ship crashing!"

Neo laughed, "I'm just kidding. So my semblance, you've seen it then, right?"

"Of course. You make these cool illusions of yourself that shatter like glass once someone touches them. Don't tell me you forgot how to use your semblance!" Ruby snorted, "That's impossible, right?"

Neo glanced back and forth awkwardly. Jaune coughed.

"Oh dust, you actually forgot how to use your semblance."

"Yeah… I was hoping you might be able to jog my memory."

Ruby shrugged, "There's nothing I can do. Most people find out about their semblances by accident when they're young, and then they just kind of… know how to do it, y'know? Yang figured out her semblance in the first grade when some dumb boy tried to fight her. Ended up punching him straight through a wall. Dad says I've been using mine since I was able to walk. People like you or Jaune, who don't know how to use their semblances are pretty unusual."

Neo sighed, "Well, thanks anyways," Neo walked over to the sink to rinse her plate, "I'm going to go talk to Yang. It was nice meeting you, Ruby."

"It was good meeting you too, Neo. Like actually meeting you this time, not just… Well you get the idea," Ruby smiled awkwardly. Neo smiled back before walking into Yang's room.

Yang stared out the window just as she did before, though this time she responded when Neo entered, "Hey Neo. Close the door."

Neo did as she said and sat next to her bed, "You ready to talk?"

Yang nodded, "I screwed up. I keep on screwing up. I keep letting my anger control me. Everything that happened at Beacon is my fault," She tucked her face into her arms as she began to cry.

Neo moved onto her bed and rested an arm on her back, "Hey, that's not true, don't be so hard on yourself."

"But it is true! Those Grimm were attracted to the school because I broke Mercury's leg! I don't know if he attacked me – I thought he did, but it hardly matters at this point – but everyone saw me attack an innocent person, and that's why the Grimm came. It's all my fault…"

Neo had been remembering more and more lately. In particular, she knew about Mercury and Emerald, "Yang, you didn't break Mercury's leg. This is going to sound kind of strange, but he doesn't actually have legs. All you did was shatter his prosthetic, he probably got a new one later that same day. And you seeing him attack you wasn't you getting angry. The green haired girl, Emerald, can make people hallucinate with her semblance. That has to be what happened at the tournament."

Yang shook her head, "That doesn't change the fact that I brought those Grimm there. All those people who died… that's my fault."

"No, it's their fault. They used you like a tool to get what they wanted. And you weren't the only one! They've used lots of other people the same exact way. You weren't the first, you won't be the last."

"I shouldn't have let myself be used like that!" Yang's eyes flashed red as her voice rose. Sadness gave way to stubborn anger, "People are dead because of me! Pyrrha is dead because of me!"

"No she isn't, Yang," Jaune said softly as he stood in the doorway, "Don't blame yourself for this. Don't blame yourself for Pyrrha. She made her own choices, and we have to live with that. The Grimm were entirely out of your control. You had no way of knowing what would happen that day. You didn't kill Pyrrha, Cinder did."

"Jaune…" Yang's eyes went back to purple as her voice caught in her throat, "I'm sorry."

"You didn't know," He looked away from them and breathed deeply before turning back to Yang, "I think you needed to hear that. I don't blame you for what happened to Pyrrha. No one blames you for anything that happened at Beacon. Anyone who does is either an idiot or doesn't know the whole story. If you're really sorry, you shouldn't be moping around in here all day," Jaune pointed to Ember Celica, both of which sat on Yang's bedside table gathering dust, "You should be getting back out there and getting ready for whatever comes next."

Yang sobbed as she listened to Jaune, "You're right."

Neo wrapped Yang into a hug, and Yang leaned her face into Neo's shoulder to hide her tears.

After a minute, Yang leaned back up, her tears still streaming down her face, "Jaune come here."

Jaune walked over, and Yang yanked him down before pulling Neo into the hug as well. She chuckled softly, "You know, you've really got a way with words when you aren't trying so hard."

* * *

Aaron here. It's spring break and I'm staying with my dad for a couple more days, during which time I'm not going to be working on anything, writing included. Sometime Thursday I'll get back home and start working again. In the meantime, I have another story in the same vein as the outtake chapter called Better Red and Dead which can be found here: s/11832998/1/Better-Red-and-Dead . It's short but it's also pretty funny, so go ahead and check that out if you haven't already.

Once I finish this story I'm going to start one of two new stories, possibly both. One that I want to do would be about Team STRQ, less about their school days and more about what led to the Taiyang-Raven-Summer situation and why Raven went off for milk and never came back. The other "story" would mostly be a collection of strange, humorous tales with only tenuous connections to one another. I may also pick up CFVY again for a more feel-good story, which I think we all need after RWBY's finale. So I might do one of those after Neo, Neo is done, which will be... a few chapters or so from now.

So have a good spring break everybody!


	10. Chapter 10

Ren and Neo sat across from each other, a fire roaring a few feet to their right and Nora sitting a few feet to their left. They sat in a pose of meditation and self-reflection. Their legs were crossed and their palms rested on their knees. Their eyes were closed, and Ren had instructed Neo to sit upright and to simply focus on her breathing – the rest, he said, would come on its own. Ren was following his own instructions effortlessly, while Neo fidgeted and struggled to get comfortable.

Finally, she gave a sigh and sprawled out, "I don't get it, Ren! How can you sit here like this not doing anything? You can't move, you can't think, and you have to breathe just the right way! It's boring, and I can't stand it!"

Ren opened his eyes and looked down at the small, frustrated girl. It was odd how careless she could be one moment and crying her eyes out the next. He attributed it to her fragile emotional state, though it was sometimes humorous how childishly flighty she could be. Even though he could tell that she was a few years older than he was, she certainly did not act the part, "That's okay, Neo. Meditation isn't for everyone."

"Hah! You can say that again!" Nora interjected.

"…But I do think that this is one way to induce your memories faster."

Neo leaned back up, "Do you have any other ways? I don't think this one is going to work for me."

"Well there is one, but it's a little dangerous. So long as Nora and I are watching you though, you shouldn't do anything too dangerous," He reached into his backpack and pulled out a bottle containing a greenish-yellow liquid, "I picked this up at the market a few days ago and made a drink from it."

Nora and Neo both grimaced at the odd vial, "What is it?"

"It's peyote, and it's chock-full of mescaline. It should induce powerful hallucinations, and if we're lucky, some of those will be your memories. Are you sure you want to try this?"

Neo gulped, "Sure. What have I got to lose, right?"

* * *

A sinking swimming feeling. Falling weightless, lost from time and space. There were no eyes now, none to look upon her. She was here, but here was nowhere. This was herself: empty, hollow, and confused.

She felt an aching, a loss, a hunger. She was incomplete. She had known before but now it was glaring, painful, impossible to ignore.

She had to find it. That's why she was here.

Burning. Brimstone. Ash. All around were endless flicks of red and orange. She was crying. She heard laughter from behind her as someone smacked her on the back, "Cheer up, kiddo, this is just another day at work! Don't forget, you asked for all this!"

She wept and screamed, but no voice came out. Instead her lungs filled with nothing as darkness crept in around her. The orange and red seemed to shrink into a tiny, cozy square. The same voice came from her right. She had a glass of milk in her hand. A man with hair like the fire looked up from a book, "Is everything okay?" She nodded, but it was not her. An echo long gone, like the ripple of a rock on the surface of a pond, she felt it all the same. Something stirred within her. It was love. It was two kinds of love. She felt for this flame-haired man the love a child feels for their parent: a mix of gratitude, pride and wistfulness welled up within her. She felt happy – no – calm. Then a new love reared its head. A hot lustful love was inside her. She felt excited and embarrassed, ready and ashamed. What child feels this way for their parent? But he was not her parent, not really at least.

In a blink she was elsewhere. Flame-Hair clutched his cane as she looked up at him with doe eyes, "What's wrong, daddy?"

A swift smack. Crushing disappointment. The first and last time she would call him that. His face was as red as his hair, "Don't ever speak while were in public! We can't have them hearing that!" She felt her heart sink in her chest. Water dosed her. She was broken, disconsolate, and though she cried, not a sob was heard. His order, followed to the letter. Her love rose once again. She could prove herself to him, gain him back. He could be hers, she knew it, she had to know it.

Backwards she fell, but there was no floor to catch her. She spun about like a tire on its wheel, many more degrees than she should have. Gravity was everywhere, crushing her, smashing her, shrinking her. When she righted herself, she was surrounded by men in suits who towered over her, with faces covered in ill-intent. Far away she heard the man she loved say a thing, give an order, "She's all yours." And she was. She did what had to be done, what sullied and ruined her. But she would do it gladly, because she loved that man and would do anything for him.

A rush again, raindrops fell about her. The man she would come to know as a father stood over her, offering a hand. His smile was warm and without ulterior motives. He was honest, he was pure, to her at least. He had sincerity that he would later lose, that he would later sacrifice.

A diner. A briefcase of dust. A raven-haired woman wrapped in carmine. Her eyes had a pull, her body had an allure, and her lips whispered arcane secrets. The man she loved loved another. The woman in red had what she lacked. Her eyes were a dazzling yellow, while hers were freakish and indecisive. She felt jealousy, but the woman in red made her father happy, so she allowed it.

Another night. A dull fireplace. Whispered arcane secrets. The flame-haired man was huddled in a corner, grasping his temples and pulling out his hair in clumps. He alternated between screaming in horror until his voice went hoarse and sobbing until he could not see. For days in sat and clawed at his skin, the things the woman in red had told him gnawing at his brain. "It was impossible," he had said, "Yet I know it's true. It's so obvious now, how did we never see?"

Days passed and he stopped screaming. Weeks passed and he stopped crying. He never once turned to the girl he had raised. Anything she said went unheard, any food she brought went ignored. It's no small miracle he didn't starve, eating only nibbling bits he worked into his hands. Months passed and finally he rose from his chair. Without a word he walked out the door. He came back changed, unlike he ever had been. His new affable demeanor belied the truly broken man that he was. Nothing made sense, so he simply followed the woman in red's orders, and the girl followed his orders in turn

Suddenly, eyes. So many eyes. The girl with pink eyes saw only eyes around her. Pairs of eyes peered at her as they walked through the streets. They know, they know! She tugged at her sleeve but dared not say a word. The eyes began to shift. Irises that had once been a rainbow of colors shifted: pink. Her own eyes stared at her. Hatred was what they saw. Self-loathing filled her, "I god what have I done?" she pounded the ground. Her eyes filled with tears that dissipated into the air. Her pained face twisted into a grin. In her hands was a knife, and beneath her was a man. The man was armed and armored, but he had simply been doing his job. He never suspected a small child would overpower him. She relished this fact. The murder filled her with a sick love she had though long since left behind: That embarrassing, perverted, shameful love she felt for her father had been directed to this man, to this act, to this killing. All the times he had hit her added another stab. All the times he had loved her added another stab. The man was long since dead, and the girl felt her muscles growing weak and exhausted. And yet she kept stabbing, until finally she had expressed all her love and all her hate. The eyes that watched her, those pink, judgmental eyes burst into a flurry of ecstasy. She cackled and she cried, unable to control herself.

She stood atop a lake. She also stood atop a lake. They were one and the same. One had a demented grin, the other a look of shock and horror.

"Who are you?"

"I am me."

She remembered everything.

* * *

"Ren, what's wrong with her?" Nora shouted, panicked tears filling her eyes

"I don't know, but we have to hold her down!"

Neo's body shook wildly. Every muscle in her body strained against itself. Bruises formed as small capillaries burst under the skin. She cackled constantly, her eyes closed but her jaw rocking up and down as she laughed psychotically. All at once her body came to a rest. Ren and Nora let go of her. Neo was still. Neo was quiet. Finally, she opened her eyes and sat up. Her face was expressionless like a mask, still like water.

Nora put a hand on her shoulder, "Neo, are you alright?"

She did not say a word.


	11. Chapter 11

Shimmering mists gave way to an eerie sight: a familiar visage stood beneath a tree whose bark was translucent and grey. Beneath the surface of the tree, thin veins pumped a glowing red liquid up and down the boughs and branches of the tree. The veins struggled inside the thick wood of the tree, their every movement and action exaggerated and painful to watch. Atop the tree, where leaves should be, was a mass of pink and brown eyes, glancing back and forth and all around, scanning their landscape for signs of activity. In that regard, it was hardly a tree at all. Behind the many-eyed plant shone the moon, whose surface was whole and unblemished, with a brilliant aura that silhouetted the many-eyed plant. At a glance, the many-eyed plant could appear to be an ordinary tree, but was nothing of the sort.

Beneath the tree was another Neo, whose pink eyes stared past Neo and into the void behind her. She stood at the precipice of a great lake, whose surface reflected the great white light of the moon. Her toes just barely sunk into the water, casting ripples across the lake that shone like diamonds. As Neo looked down, she realized that she stood on the lake's surface, whose water seemed to stretch down for ages until it was nothing but a black chasm. She ran her foot across its surface, making a scraping sound not unlike fingernails on a pane of glass. It made her skin crawl

"So you've finally made it," The other Neo spoke. Her voice was a droning monotone, which had an ever-so-slight emphasis on the word "you." As she spoke, the many-eyed plant's eyes darted to her, staring in fear, awe and reverence. With the smallest and slightest of motions, she shied away from its scrutiny.

"What is all this? And who are you?" The eyes shifted their gaze to Neo, who fell back a step as her foot made another grinding screech against the surface of the lake.

"As I said, I am Neo. This place is… well it has been home to me for a long time, it seems. Do you like it here?"

"Um, no, not at all actually, why am I here?"

"You wanted your memories back, yes. Now you have them. That is why you are here."

Neo raised an eyebrow at her, "Just what are you, actually? You're Neo, I get it, but you're not… human."

The previously blank faced Neo titled her head back as a twisted, disturbed grin spread from ear to ear. Though her voice remained monotone, it had raised in tone, making her seem happy, "I am what your subconscious believes me to be: I am what you consider the Old Neo. I am manipulative, I am uncaring, and I am evil. Is that right? But you know that to be false. You have seen otherwise. You know that we are not merely insane, but damaged."

Neo nodded to her counterpart, "Your love for Roman broke you, didn't it? Why? He was terrible to you, made you his servant, sold your body and made you a murderer. Why insist on his love after all that?"

"Why does anyone love?" Her head tilted to the left, "I can answer that no better than you can. I can merely say that I love him and that I can think of nothing but loving him."

"Then you realize he's dead? You're part of my mind, you must know that."

She nodded somberly. An eye on the tree suddenly burst, spilling glowing red pus into the water, which mixed with the ripples caused by Neo's feet to form a pink slush on the surface of the water, "It is sad he is gone. I will never be able to show him my love. Instead I have to show everyone else my love."

"What do you mean?"

"The girl in the hood. She killed him. I will start with her. Just the thought of it fills us both with excitement. I'll kill her to show the world that I truly loved him. Do not lie, you feel that joy too. The anticipation. The arousal. You cannot resist."

"You're wrong. Ruby is my friend now, I wouldn't do that to her. I won't let you do that to her."

Several more eyes burst in rapid succession. Their sludge washed towards Neo's feet. She tried to avoid its path, but slipped and fell. As she looked up, a new Neo stood over her, this one with red irises that were completely contracted, making her pupils appear like small pinpricks, "We failed him! We did nothing!" She screamed as she stomped her stiletto-ed boot down. Neo rolled to her right to avoid it, and the boot punctured the water beneath, forming a strong, gushing wave.

More bursting eyes, Neo could hear them popping like bloody balloons. She looked ahead of her. She saw another Neo several feet ahead of her, curled up with her knees pressed to her face. Neo looked back to her left, but the Neo who had attacked her was gone. She stood up and walked to her crying apparition, kneeling down and placing a hand on her shoulder. She was sobbing the same phrase to herself over and over, "It should've been me, it should've been me…"

Just as Neo stood up, her apparition jumped to her feet, swiping and jabbing at Neo with an umbrella. The strikes stung, more than Neo ever knew her hits could, before Neo finally managed to tackle her other self. Just as she made contact, the apparition shattered like glass. More eyes burst, as the water that had once shone white now reflected a dull red.

When she got to her feet, dozens of Neos surrounded her, their faces contorted with a variety of emotions ranging from sadness to anger, pleasure to disgust, arousal to disinterest, they all stared at her directly. Then they began muttering.

"Murderer."

"Roman's whore."

"Psycho bitch."

"How many have you killed?"

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Why did you kill them?"

"Do you ever think for yourself?"

"Are you just a slave to your desires?"

"Or a slave to that criminal mastermind of yours?"

Neo covered her ears, "Shut up! Stop! That isn't me! I'm not her!"

In unison, the crowd of Neos spoke, "Even you know that isn't true anymore."

In the blink of an eye, the Neos were gone, and standing only an inch from her face in front of the moon and the many-eyed plant was the original pink-eyed Neo, "I am afraid my time is up. You must return now."

The remaining eyes burst all at once, forming a gushing red torrent the blocked out the moon for a moment, casting Neo in darkness. When the torrent fell, the moon had shattered once more and all was silent. There were no Neos to be found. She looked down to brush herself off and her eyes went wide in horror. Beneath her feet was Nora, battered and beaten. A few feet away, Ren was face down in a pile of red snow. Neo bought her hands to her face, covering her mouth as her eyes grew red and bleary. It was then that she heard her parasol come clattering to the ground, its sharp tip extended.

She dropped to her knees. Her stomach churned as she felt herself grow weak. Then she heard them. Yang and Jaune called her, Nora and Ren's names. They were right in front of her. Fear and shock came over all Jaune and Yang. The world grew dark around Neo as she slumped to the ground and blacked out.

* * *

Hey everybody. Not a lot of work this weekend so I might have another chapter out pretty soon. In the meantime, if you liked my other story, Better Red than Dead, its up for selection for the RWBY Subreddit's March MonCon contest! You can vote and find all the nominees for both Fanfiction and Art here: r/RWBY/comments/4bxsbg/official_rrwby_moncon_march_2016_voting/ . I'd really appreciate it if ya'll voted!

Otherwise I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend and that you enjoy this chapter!


	12. Chapter 12

Shifting flicks of fire sat framed in a brickwork fireplace. The slow crackle and warmth and soft orange light were a cold comfort to all in the room. Jaune sat with tired eyes, his head propped up by his arm while in the other hand he wrung a small handkerchief in frustration. Ruby sat beside him, desperately trying to take her mind off the situation by reading a book Blake had loaned her, but she hadn't turned the page since she's started. She simply stared at the grey-black ink on those pale yellow pages, worrying about her friends in the other room, in the same room, and scattered across Remnant. Qrow and Taiyang stood in the hallway, not-so-quietly arguing about what should be done about the current situation. Yang sat on the mantle of the fireplace, waiting for someone to break the uncomfortable silence that hung over the room like an oppressive smog.

Neo stared absently into the flicks of the fire, reminded of the man who had damned her to a horrible fate and haunted her to this day. And yet she could not deny the comfort it brought her, neither of this fire nor of that monstrous excuse for a man. She sat with her knees clutched to her chest and her chin rested upon them, her hair was disheveled, brown and pink mixing and tangling like her own confused thoughts, memories and emotions. Ruby had brought her a blanket to keep her warm, wrapping it around her shoulders, but Neo hadn't responded. She hadn't said a word since she'd come to and seen Ren and Nora's condition. She was transfixed by the fireplace, by its slow crackle that reminded her of bones snapping, by the warmth that reminded her of a father she missed, and by an orange light that reminded her of the father she hated.

An audible huff came from the other room before Taiyang and Qrow shuffled back into the room. Tai looked decidedly nervous, while Qrow had a hand rested on the hilt of his scythe, ready to draw his weapon at any time. Jaune, Ruby and Yang stood up as they came in.

"How are they?" Was the first thing out of all their mouths.

"They're going to be okay. Nora has a minor concussion, puncture wounds and bruising, but she'll be up and walking by tomorrow."

"Oh thank goodness!" Ruby sighed.

"And what about Ren?" Jaune asked.

Tai scratched his head, "Well Ren's injuries were much worse. He's stable, but just barely. He has several large puncture wounds that will take a lot of time to heal, broken bones and lots of deep bruising. The problem is that he's lost a lot of blood, so he's having a hard time recovering. We've sent word to a nearby hospital asking for a transfusion, but it'll be a few days before they can get out here. He'll be bed-bound for a few weeks no matter what."

Qrow shoved his way in front of Tai, "Which brings us to the next problem," He raising a hand and pointed at Neo, " _Her._ She's dangerous. We know she's worked for Cinder in the past, and she might have been working for her this whole time."

Jaune placed himself in between Neo and Qrow, "Just what are you suggesting?"

"We kill her. Can't just let her go, she'd just tell those friends of hers where we are. We have to get rid of her or we're all in danger."

"We won't let you-"

Qrow stopped him, "But Tai disagrees. He think she just had an episode and that she's going to be fine in the long run. We couldn't talk it out, so we're putting it to a vote. All in favor of getting rid of Neo?"

No one raised their hand for a moment, "C'mon, there's no shame in having an opinion, people," Qrow added, raising his own hand. Neo feebly raised her arm, the first thing she had done since they found her. Yang reached over and put her arm back down, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Qrow threw his arms in the air, " _Psh._ You kids are gonna get us all killed."

"She's their friend, Qrow. They've got as much of a choice as we do." Tai scolded.

Qrow brushed him off as he made his way to the door, "Yeah, whatever. I'm going to go keep watch, make sure her _friends_ aren't already on their way."

With a slam, Qrow was gone and Ruby, Tai, Jaune and Yang were left awkwardly standing in the soft glow of the fire once more. Tai coughed before announcing that he would start cooking. Jaune walked past him to check on his teammates, while Ruby returned to her book, now actually reading it. Yang, meanwhile, sat down next to Neo and stared at the fire with her.

"You remembered something bad huh?"

Neo nodded.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Neo shook her head.

"That's fine. When you're ready, I'll listen, okay?"

Neo nodded and leaned against Yang. A small smile crossed her face for a moment before she stared back into the fire with a scowl

"What has you so quiet, Neo?"

Neo's reply came as barely more than a hoarse cough, "I'm worried."

"About attacking someone again?"

Neo nodded, "And about Ren and Nora."

"Would it help if you got to check on them?"

Neo nodded and stood up, providing Yang a shoulder to balance on as she did the same. With Ruby's blanket wrapped around her, she looked like a child, but the fear and worry on her face made her seem old beyond her years. Yang led her to Ruby's bedroom where Ren and Nora had been tended to. Jaune was outside the door, expecting them.

"How are they?"

"Well Nora's awake and she's… well she Nora. Tai told me to make sure she doesn't get excited or move around too much, but there's nothing I can really do to stop her. Ren's still out cold, probably will be for a while. Your dad has some surprisingly nice medical equipment, Yang."

"Oh, yeah… Dad has always been a stickler for that kind of thing, says a Huntsman has to be well rounded. Do you think we could see them?"

Jaune leaned to peak in through the cracked door, "Uhh, yeah that should be fine. Come on, let's go in."

The three walked into the makeshift hospital room. Neo's eyes were immediately drawn to a grim sight: on the right side of the room, Ren was limp on Ruby's bed, wires and needles sticking out of him and his many casts, a pulse monitor beeping at an eerily slow pace, and breathing mask covering his mouth. He was entirely still, and the sight filled Neo with dread, not helped by the fact that Nora was glaring daggers at her. Neo clenched her hands as she stood at her bedside, feeling herself sweat with worry and anxiety.

"Jaune, what's she doing here?"

"She wanted to see that you were okay. I didn't think it'd be a problem."

"Oh no, no big deal. She's just the crazy axe murderer who attacked us out of the blue, has been our enemy ever since we started fighting Roman in the first place, has us all fooled that she's some sweet and innocent little angel that could do no harm to anyone, has been eating our rations and getting herself hurt to whittle down our supplies, has been a constant emotional burden to our team and nearly killed Ren! No, no big deal at all."

Neo felt herself tear up, "I'm sorry," she squeaked in response, her eyes falling to the ground as she tried to stop herself from crying. Her words stung, and some of them weren't true, but Neo couldn't deny what she had just done to Ren, and seeing her victims in person only made the guilt weigh on her even harder.

Nora continued to glare for a few moments before her anger shifted to excited happiness. She leaped towards Neo and pulled her down onto the bed with her, wrapping her in a hug and shaking her around, "Oh, I can't stay mad at you! I'm sorry Neo! I didn't mean those things, I just thought I had to seem tough after what happened! I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

Neo sniffled before giggling lightly, "It's fine, Nora. I'm just glad you're going to be okay."

Jaune cut in and pulled Nora's iron-armed grip off of Neo, "Nora, you have to stop bouncing off the walls like that, we don't want your concussion to get any worse!"

Nora ignored him, " _Pffft!_ Of course I'm okay, Neo! Do you really think a tiny shrimp like you could hurt me? Hah!"

Neo pouted, "You're only a couple inches taller than me!"

"But you wear heels, without those you'd be teeny tiny!" Nora tilted her head to look past Neo as something caught her attention, "Good morning, Ren! How do you feel?"

They all turned to see Ren's eyes opening up. He looked disoriented, which made sense considering how many medications he was on, but when his eyes rested on Neo, his heartrate suddenly skyrocketed, the beeping that filled the room reached a fever pitch. From under his breathing mask came a muffled cry.

"Stay away!"


	13. Chapter 13

Jaune shuffled them out of the room, apologies rushing from his mouth as he pulled the door shut and rushed to calm Ren down. Yang was stunned. Neo clenched her chin to her chest and rushed back to the fire, the warm, fatherly fire. Her body began to shake and her voice began to rasp. Finally, when she could hold it back no longer, she began to weep harder than she ever had, in this life or her last one. Her wail shook the very souls of everyone in the house, and rang out past the tiny cabin on the hill, past the barn where she and her friends had stayed for so long, and into the dark depths of the forest.

Yang sat down next to her, pulling Neo into her embrace as Neo's body shook and rocked back and forth. Tears flowed down Yang's shoulder and chest as decades of emotional abuse, neglect, abandonment and sorrow suddenly poured out of her new emotional wound.

Taiyang walked out of the kitchen towards one of the window and cursed under his breath. Outside he saw Qrow approaching, his stride quick and his face grave. Taiyang rushed outside to him, closing the door so as not to further disturb Neo, "What's going on?"

"I could ask you the same thing! I was scouting when a pack of beowolves turned and started staring straight at your damn house!"

"Oh what, and you think it's that poor girl's fault?"

The two stopped for a moment as Neo's wails drowned out their thoughts.

"Call me crazy, Tai, but yeah, I think she did it!" Qrow snarked.

"It isn't her choice, Qrow! Don't do anything stupid!"

"I know it ain't on purpose, but she's gotta pull herself together fast, or we're gonna have every beowolf on the island charging straight for us!"

"What the hell am I supposed to do?"

Qrow paced back and forth, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Neo's wails quieted for a moment. He rushed to the window, looking in to see Neo still sobbing into Yang's arms. Finally he turned back to Tai, "Have Yang do exactly what she's been doing. Ruby, Jaune, you and Nora, grab your gear and every last speck of Dust we've got, and get ready."

Tai stammered, "Nora's still recovering, her concussion doesn't need to get any worse."

Qrow turned and began to gesture wildly, "We need every pair of hands we can get, or we're all gonna have a lot worse than a concussion!"

Qrow rushed off back into the woods before Tai could voice any further objections. He rushed back into the house, quickly relaying Qrow's order to Jaune before rushing to grab his own weapons.

Yang patted Neo on the head and stroked her hair out of her face, "Tell me what you're feeling, I won't judge you, you know that."

Neo blubbered, her voice interrupted by her involuntary sobs and cries, "Ren hates me. He's afraid of me! He's going… He's going to insist that Jaune get rid of me. Then I'll be alone again, and I don't know what would happen if I had to be alone again! I might turn back into some crazy psycho, and hurt people, maybe even hurt them! And then… and then…" Her words melted into incoherence awash in big, wet tears.

"It's okay," Yang cooed as their friends rushed out the door behind them, "None of that is going to happen. Ren's just scared and freaked out because of all the painkillers he's on. He's not one to hold a grudge like that. Even if he was, you're wrong about Jaune too. Even if one of his best friends was telling him to do something he didn't like, he wouldn't do it. There's no way he'd kick you out just because Ren wanted it, and Nora wouldn't stand for it either. And even then, you wouldn't be alone. You've got me and Ruby. Dad wouldn't mind you staying at all, he thinks you're great. Qrow may not like you, but Qrow doesn't like anyone. Honestly the fact that he gave you a chance says a lot on its own. We all love you, Neo. There's no need to worry about it. We're all your friends, and we all love and care about you. We aren't going to let anything bad happen to you."

Neo's tears slowed as that word swished around in her head, _love_. Her doubts swept back in as her weeping resumed, "Ren doesn't. You saw him in there, there's no way he loves me. What if that's how you all feel about me? What if it's all just a big lie?"

Yang sighed, "Maybe Ren doesn't love you, not right now at least, but he certainly did before all this, and I'm sure he'll come around sooner or later. And why would we lie to you about that? To hurt you? Neo, this is the Xiao Long family you're talking about. If we wanted to hurt you, we could've done it the old fashioned way, but we didn't and we won't. We care about you. And everyone else does too. Jaune's been trying his best to make sure you felt welcome ever since we found you months ago. He waited at your side while you were in the hospital, trained with you every day, always asked how you were feeling. And you saw Nora back there, even after you kicked the crap out of her, she still just wanted to give you a bear hug!" Yang pulled her in for a tight hug, "We're not lying. This is real. This, right now, is real. I promise."

Neo nodded, "I guess so."

Yang loosened her squeeze on Neo, but Neo continued to lean heavily against her, "There's something else, isn't there?"

"Yes," Neo croaked, "I remembered everything. My past life. I remember it all now…"

"I figured. Must have been some really bad stuff in there, given how you acted."

"Roman. He's a monster. He turned me into his servant – no – his slave. He made me kill people, commit terrible crimes, sell my body for his own gain. I hated him. I still hate him! But…" Neo sniffled as a sad half-smile crossed her face, "He wasn't always like that. He was also the man who got me off the streets, who saved me from starvation and read me stories while I fell asleep every night. He was my father, and I loved him. But then everything went wrong. He met that terrible woman, Cinder, and she… I don't even know. She did something to him, and he went raving mad. I still don't know why, but… after that my love for him turned into something… baser. I wanted him, sexually wanted him, and I didn't understand it. Eventually I just stopped worrying about it, then I started obsessing over him. I'd have done anything for him. I loved him, but deep down I also hated him. I wanted him dead, I wanted him to accept me as his lover, and I also just wanted my Dad back."

Yang's face fell, "That's…" Yang couldn't continue. She had no words for it, "You still miss him, don't you? You miss the man who raised you, not the monster he became. That's perfectly normal, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. And whatever Cinder did to him, or maybe even did to you, isn't something to be ashamed of either. You survived, that's what matters."

Neo was quiet for a moment, leaning against Yang.

Tears slowed as she thought how best to express her feelings. Finally Neo spoke up, "I wish I had a family."

Yang gave a mild chuckle, "There's a saying I heard once, 'friends are you family you choose.' We already chose you, Neo. It may not be traditional, but we're happy to be your family."

Neo started crying again, snivels and sobs filling the room. Yang was taken aback, "Did I say something wrong?"

Neo wiped the tears away, "It's happy tears," was all she croaked out before she reached up around Yang's neck for a hug, pulling her down to Neo's level. Neo simply laid there, happy to have her arms wrapped around Yang, around her friend and family. She took a few breaths, her shaky nervousness washing away and leaving an eve, quiet calm. Everything was peaceful. For the first time in months, Neo felt like she could relax.

She would have laid there forever, had the decapitated head of a beowolf not broken through the window and landed a few feet away. Both girls yelped, startled, before glancing between the now-dissipating Grimm head and the shattered window.

Suddenly, Ruby poked her head through the hole, a strange mixture of embarrassment and pride written across her face, "Sorry about that! Didn't think I'd fling it that far…"

Then, as soon as she had come, she was gone, a merry skip in her step as she rushed off to kill more Grimm.

A moment later, Qrow's head appeared too, "Well good to see your little heart-to-heart is finished. Neo, why don't you come out here and give us a hand? Yang, come watch the fireworks," a happy glint crossed Qrow's eyes, "It's gonna be a hell of a good time out here!"

Qrow too rushed off with the same child-like glee as his niece. Neo stood up, helping Yang to her feet as well, then rushed to retrieve her parasol. As she was about to walk out the door, Yang hesitated. Neo back turned to her, "Coming?"

Yang nodded, "Yeah, I'll be right out. There's something I need to go get first."


	14. Chapter 14

Neo stepped out into the sunlight to behold a landscape of absolute havoc. All around her, her friends were fighting an onslaught of Grimm. To her right, Qrow and Ruby were cutting down beowolves four at a time, their scythes clearly designed to slice through their leathery hides. To her left, Jaune and Nora contended with a single ursa. Nora was giving it her all, but her injuries were too severe for her to muster the kind of strength she normally did. Jaune, meanwhile, held his ground ably, but the short reach of his sword limited what he could do to the beast. In the distance, a whole new horde of Grimm was barreling straight for them.

Neo took a breath before she extended the blade of her parasol and charged at the ursa. With three quick jabs, she had disabled the leg, leaving it stuck in place and unable to respond as she sidestepped towards its back. With a series of quick steps she scaled the beast's back, leapt from its shoulders and struck down at it as she fell, piercing the monster's skull and bringing it down to the snow with a thud. Jaune opened his mouth to thank her, but she rushed off towards a beowolf that was approaching him from behind.

Jaune threw his arms up in the air as he glanced back and forth between Qrow, Ruby and Neo, none of whom seemed to be breaking a sweat as they mowed down the Grimm.

"What are we even doing out here?" He said as he turned towards Nora.

Nora huffed, "I don't know, but I'm gonna take five. Want to join me?"

As they began their break, Neo dashed about the battlefield. She approached a beowolf and skid to a stop. As the beowolf began to snap forward with its mighty jaws, Neo kicked off the ground and into the air. At the height of her flip, she unleashed a flurry of stabs to the beast's head, leaving it little more than a bloody pulp. She landed daintily before sprinting off towards an alpha.

She noticed Ruby dashing towards the beast as well, and the two nodded at each other. Their attacks taking no more than a moment before the alpha fell, its torso severed from its legs and a large puncture wound directly between its eyes. Ruby and Neo stopped and smiled at each other.

"Having fun yet, Neo?" Ruby shouted.

"Yeah, actually! I might need to change careers!"

"Beats the hell out of robbing banks and dust shops, doesn't it?" Qrow chuckled as he jogged up to them.

"I don't know about that. Robbery _definitely_ pays better." Neo playfully replied.

Ruby and Neo dropped into a defensive stance as they saw a beowolf charging from behind Qrow. Just as Qrow looked over his shoulder to see it, a bolt of red, flaming dust flew past them and exploded into the beowolf, sending it flying before landing, limp and dead, in the snow. The three turned and looked to see Yang with an Ember Celica strapped to one hand.

Everyone waved, and Ruby even cheered.

"Took you long enough, Kiddo!" Qrow shouted at her with a proud grin.

"Hey, do you have any idea how hard it is to put this thing on with one hand? Very hard!" Yang shouted back, her eyes flashing red for a moment. She saw another beowolf coming, and flicked her hand out to the side to cock her gun. Firing it behind her as she began to run, she flew towards the beast. She quickly cocked the gun in midair before impacting with the beowolf. As she punched, her gun went off and blew a wide hole in the monster's chest, killing it instantly.

Tai ran up from the treeline, winded and panting, "It's all set, Qrow."

"Perfect," Qrow said as he reached into his coat and pulled out a small metal detonator, "Stand back, everybody, and watch out for debris."

"Wait why would-"

Ruby was cut off by the click of Qrow's detonator and the sound of a line of dust bombs doing off all at once. The explosion felled many trees, and formed a flaming barricade between the Grimm-infested forest and the cabin. The beowolves howled with fury as they found themselves unable to advance on their prey.

Everyone was silent, and only the sound of crackling fire and the biting winter wind could be heard. After a moment, Ruby threw her hands in the air and her eyes went wide with excitement, "That was awesome!"

Her father sighed, "Yeah, and expensive. That was our entire dust supply, Qrow, and now we don't even have a path to town to buy more!"

Qrow shrugged, "Beats dying, doesn't it?"

Behind them, a roar rang out. One alpha had jumped over the barrier. They all turned and looked as it bashed a hole in the side of the house, revealing Ren, terrified and still covered in wires and IVs.

Ren attempted to attack, to run, to scream, to do anything he could, but his body wouldn't let him. He simply couldn't move. All he could do was stare into the wide, toothy maw of the alpha as it bared down upon him. Then, suddenly, it fell to the floor, a small pink-and-brown haired woman atop its corpse. Ren's terror did not subside, but as he looked into Neo's eyes, he saw a calm, concerned person trying her best to help. He nodded at her, showing that he understood, and Neo turned and left.

As Neo looked up at the trees to survey the horizon, she caught a glimpse of something: a small mint-green blur in the trees. At first she thought it was simply a bundle of leaves, but as she watched it, she saw the glint of binoculars. Feeling an almost primal rage building up inside her, she ran after the mint-haired girl without a word.

Qrow looked up and noticed Neo as she dashed into the forest. He quietly separated himself from the group and followed after her.

* * *

Sorry for the long time between updates and the short chapter. Last week was a mess with me scrambling to finish up a game, then my friends and I went out of town, and this week has been a series of back-to-back tests. Now though, I can finally finish this fic up. Looking like there will be only one more chapter after this, so stay tuned for the finale! In addition, I've moved the outtake it its own story, which can be found here: s/11897180/1/Tai-Teaches-a-Lesson. I'm hoping this will avoid confusing newer readers, as well as get rid of the tonal whiplash that it causes. Unfortunately, one of my readers also informed me that this might screw up the reviewing system, which would totally suck since I love reading people's reviews. If that is the case, feel free to PM me your review, I promise that I do read them!

That said, if there's a huge gap between now and the next update... Blame Dark Souls 3. That game is way too good.


	15. Finale

Burning trees fell and splintered as Neo dashed through the narrow clearing in the midst of the burning forest of Patch. Wisps of flame reached out at her and her target before being snuffed by the wind caused by their passing. Neo was blind to all except what was in front of her; here, now, was the girl Cinder had coddled for years, one of her most precious tools. Neo wished to rip it from her.

A branch gave way from above Emerald's head, landing in front of her and shattering with a roar of flame. Caught off-guard, Emerald clumsily rolled to avoid it, and moments later Neo leaped over and right onto her collarbone.

The air stood still. The heat that emanated all around them seemed to fade and the twos' blood ran cold, one for fear, one for excitement. The world faded from view as Neo lowered the point of her weapon towards Emerald's throat.

That moment turned into eternity as a vile mixture of adrenaline and norepinephrine started to pump through Neo's veins, her pupils dilating as a wry grin crept its way across her pale cheeks. This was what she feared, the almost erotic joy of a life held at knife-point. The desire to decide life and death and to have total control over the lives of her victims had returned. She felt a hellish warmth in her chest as the tip of her parasol hung over the supple, soft, weak flesh of the girl below her.

Neo looked down at her face. Tears clouded her red eyes and her dark skin began to flush. Her thin lips quivered in pain as Neo pressed her foot further and further down onto her chest. Fear. She feared for her life, feared Neo's power over her, and Neo reveled in it.

Emerald mouthed a single word: Please.

And Neo took a breath, and thought of her friends. She thought of Yang, who let her rage ruin her, who now spent her days wallowing in regret. She thought of Ruby, whose silver-eyed anger could slay a horde of grimm, yet save no one. She thought of Jaune, who ignored the vengeance he and his friends had every right to inflict on her. Jaune, who had never abandoned her. Jaune, who had maintained faith in her even as hers wavered. In a solitary breath, she felt her anger, her hatred, her lust for vengeance dissipate. She stabbed her parasol into the dirt next to her would-be victim's ear before lifting her foot.

Emerald rolled over, gasping for air. The world came back into focus, the flames around them slowly reducing to ash.

"Why are you here?" Neo's voice lacked the anger and frustration that Emerald expected. There was no malice in her voice, only curiosity and a hint of pity.

Emerald turned back to her, still prone on the ground. She stifled a pained sob before she spoke, "Cinder sent me here. She wants to bring you back. We didn't know that you were here with _them_."

"Would you have hurt them?"

Emerald grit her teeth.

"If you thought it would make me go back with you, would you have hurt my friends?"

"No," she coughed before looking away, "I wouldn't have."

For a few tense moments, the only sound was that of weak flames smoldering around them.

"Why do you follow her?" Neo asked, voice dripping with sympathy.

Emerald glared at her, looking for some ulterior motive, before relenting, "She's… all I have," tears returned to her eyes, "For me and Mercury, she's the closest thing we've ever had to a real family."

Emerald flinched as Neo sauntered towards her, before opening her eyes to an outstretched hand, "You shouldn't live just for Cinder. I can see in your eyes that somewhere, deep down, you know that."

Emerald warily took her hand and was pulled to her feet. It was only now that she remembered how small this girl was, this girl who only moments ago was looming over her now seemed harmless. In the distance, familiar voices called out Neo's name.

"I want to help you. _They_ would want to help you."

Emerald stared into her mismatched eyes, with nothing but kindness staring back at her. She glanced in the direction of the shouting.

"Please. They can be your family too, if you just let them." Neo pleaded.

Emerald looked back at the girl and shook her head sadly, "I wish I could, Neo, but I have my reasons. I have to go back to her."

Neo's face fell, "She's just using you. Don't you get that?! You mean nothing to her!"

Emerald turned to walk away, "It isn't like that. I wish you knew, but I can't abandon her now."

Emerald disappeared with a shimmer of light, her footsteps getting quieter as she left Neo standing alone amidst the ashes. Up above, a red-eyed crow beat its wings.

A few minutes passed before Jaune broke through what remained of the tree-line, "There you are, Neo! What happened, are you okay?" He frantically asked as he tried to see if she were injured.

"She…" Neo gulped, "I couldn't catch up with her. She got away."

* * *

That night, as everyone else celebrated their victory, Neo slipped out and sat down in the closest rocking chair on the porch. The shattered moon and the stars above shone beautifully here on Patch, where there were no city lights to drown it out. She found herself lost in thought, staring up at the ruined mass the hung above.

"You know," A gravelly voice startled her from her reverie, "I saw what you did with mint-chocolate-chip earlier."

Neo looked over her shoulder at Qrow, who leaned on the doorframe, the smuggest grin she'd ever seen spread across his face, "You think I should've killed her, don't you. One less enemy of Remnant running around?"

"Exactly the opposite, I was impressed by your restraint today. I know that must've been tough… I could see how badly you wanted her dead."

Neo was quiet for a moment before turning back to him with a smile, "Oh really? Is that your semblance, then? Omniscience?"

"Nah, birds."

Neo raised an eyebrow at him, "Birds?"

"Yep," Qrow took a sip from his flask, "Birds."

Neo and Qrow were quiet as they gazed up at the night sky, "Why do you care, Qrow? Earlier today you were considering killing me, and now you're acting like some proud mentor figure."

Qrow took a deep drink before answering, "You remind me of my sister."

"In what way?"

"She did a lot of bad things, fell in with a bad crowd. Killed a lot of people. Worst thing was, she enjoyed every second of it," Qrow stopped to take another drink, "I was her only brother, and I didn't do a damn thing to help her. I didn't when we were kids, and I couldn't when we were adults." Qrow stopped, and for the briefest of moments, his façade slipped, his voice catching in his throat before quickly regaining his composure, "I just don't want you or those kids in there to end up like my sister or I."

"Well I don't-" When Neo turned over her shoulder to address Qrow, there was no one there. She was once again left with her own thoughts.

Walking back inside, she ignored the life of the party and went into Ren's make-shift clinic. He was awake, thankfully, though extremely heavily medicated. Ren averted his eyes from her as she entered, "Hey… Neo."

Neo looked away as well, "Hey…"

Silence stood between them.

"I'm sorry that-" They said in unison, before quieting back down.

"I'm sorry that I ran you off earlier," Ren spoke as flatly and as calmly as he always did.

Neo gave him a soft smile, "I'm sorry I stabbed you. And broke all those bones, and-"

Ren gave a soft chuckle, "Stop listing it, I understand."

"…You're afraid of me, aren't you?"

"I am," For a moment, Neo's face fell, "But I'm also afraid of Nora, and Ruby, and Yang, and a lot of other things."

"Not Jaune?"

"No, definitely not Jaune."

Neo giggled as she signed one of his casts, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"And I am, now you should go and enjoy the party. It's not every day that a bunch of kids and a pair of drunkards fend off an entire horde of grimm, you know."

Neo walked back into the party, Jaune, Nora, and Ruby immediately pulling her into their conversation. She felt happy.

She felt at home.

* * *

Taiyang frowned down at the pink-and-brown haired girl, a large backpack slung across her thin shoulders, "Are you sure about this? Its dangerous out there, now more than ever."

Neo nodded, "I'm sure, sir. This is something I have to do. There's someone out there who needs me."

Jaune stared down at his feet, "You're coming back though, right?"

Neo walked up to him, closer than she'd ever come, grabbed him by the neck and gingerly pulled his face down to her level to plant a kiss on his cheek, "Yes, I'll come find you all. No matter where you go, I'll come back, I promise."

A gasp from the crowd was silenced by sing-song laughter, "Nice going, lady-killer!" Yang elbowed Jaune in the ribs.

With Jaune thoroughly stunned, Neo turned heel and strode off, pride welling up in her chest. Sound of mind and sound of heart, a noble goal in sight. This journey was hers to take.

* * *

Well there it is. I apologize for the long wait, but this has been a busy semester and I've not had much time to write for fun like this.

Hope everyone enjoys it! I'm not sure what I'll end up writing next, but I guarantee it won't be until this semester is over. Also definitely depends on how Vol 4 progresses.

Who knows, maybe it won't be a fanfic at all? Maybe it'll be a game, or a novel. Or a Shadowrun campaign. Who knows.

This has been Aaron, signing off.


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